Chemical composition and potential adulterants in coconut milk sold in Kuala Lumpur

The purpose of this study was to determine the chemical composition of six fresh coconut milk samples sold in Kuala Lumpur and to compare the results of chemical composition with pure coconut milk as reference using Malaysia Food Composition, USDA Fresh Coconut Milk Composition and USDA Canned Coconut Milk Composition. The possible source of adulterants that might present in coconut milk was also studied. Two fresh coconut milk samples from Pasar Imbi and Giant Cheras was anticipated to be adulterated with water and a source of carbohydrate in order to thicken the coconut milk. The protein content of fresh coconut milk sample from Pasar Imbi and Giant Cheras was 79.05% and 80.95%, respectively, lower compared to the reference, while the fat content was 53.38% and 60.96% lower compared to the value of the reference. However, the carbohydrate was 16.37% and 5.75%, while the moisture content was 12.84% and 25.77% higher compared to the value of the reference. From these two potentially adulterated coconut milk samples, only coconut milk from Pasar Imbi shown carbohydrate (corn flour) and water peaks of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The spectra of fresh coconut milk adulterated with different concentration of corn flour were scanned and interpreted. Partial Least Square (PLS) regression was used to quantitatively determine the concentration of corn flour in the coconut milk. The linear equation of the validation obtained was y = 0.9161x + 0.3334 with R2= 0.9982 and RMSEC= 0.688. This can be suggested that FTIR could be a potential tool in determining the coconut milk adulteration with corn flour for future study

Kinetic desorption models for the release of nanosilver from an experimental nanosilver coating on polystyrene food packaging

To predict the kinetic desorption of silver from an experimental nanosilver coated polystyrene food packaging material into food simulants (0, 1, 2 and 3% acetic acid (HAc) in distilled water (dH2O)) at 4 temperatures (10, 20, 40 and 70 °C), 5 sorption models were examined for their performance. A pseudo-second order kinetic sorption model was found to provide the best prediction of an unseen desorption validation dataset with R2 = 0.90 and RMSE = 3.21. Poor predictions were witnessed for desorption at 70 °C, potentially due to re-adsorption of the silver back onto the polystyrene substrate, as shown in the kinetic migration experiments. Similarly, the temperature dependence of the desorption rate constant was satisfactorily described using the Arrhenius equation with the exception of the 70 °C scenario. The use of sorption models identified scenarios that may limit human exposure to nanosilver migrating from this experimental nanocoating, i.e. low temperature applications. Industrial relevance: The use of antimicrobial packaging has the potential to reduce food spoilage and risk from pathogenic microorganisms while reducing food waste by extending the shelf life of food products. Coating of antimicrobial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to polymer surfaces is a highly advantageous technology as microbial contamination predominantly occurs on the surface of fresh and processed food products. However, uncertainty related to the potential release of nanoparticles from food packaging materials, subsequent potential human exposure and toxicology is a barrier to the uptake of these novel materials. In the European Union, where the safety assessment of these materials is stringent, mathematical models used to predict the worst case migration of nanoparticles from food packaging materials have supported the acceptance of some nanomaterials for use in food packaging. The performance of a number of desorption models was evaluated to predict the release of AgNPs from AgNP coated polystyrene. The model identified factors that influenced migration and possible industrial applications for the developed material to minimise human exposure. The study highlights the potential benefits of using predictive models to assess migration of NPs from polymers into food simulants instead of time consuming and expensive migration studies

Habitual dietary fibre intake and lifestyle characteristics in relation to functional constipation among adults in Malaysia

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommend consuming at least 25 g of dietary fibre daily. Adults with low fibre intake have an increased constipation risk. However, little research has been done on the habitual dietary fibre intake and lifestyle characteristics of functional constipation in Malaysian adults. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine the dietary fibre intake, lifestyle characteristics, and functional constipation of adults in Malaysia, as well as the association between habitual dietary fibre intake, lifestyle characteristics, and functional constipation. About 318 adults between the ages of 18 and 59 participated and were asked to complete an online questionnaire consisting of three major parts. The components are as follows: i) the assessment of dietary fibre intake by using a semi-quantitative dietary fibre food frequency questionnaire; ii) the assessment of lifestyle factors; and iii) the determination of functional constipation via the Wexner Constipation Scoring System. SPSS 25 was used to analyse the data at a significance level of 0.05. The results indicated that the majority of adults consumed dietary fibre in amounts less than 25 g per day (84.6%). About 97.5% of adults have a healthy lifestyle, and only 2.8% of adults in this study faced constipation. There was no significant association between habitual dietary fibre intake and lifestyle characteristics (p=0.614) or between habitual dietary fibre intake and functional constipation among adults in Malaysia (p=0.147). Continued efforts are needed to increase dietary fibre intake among the adult population